The invention relates to racks for dispensing and storing material on spools. In particular, the invention relates to racks that store and dispense wire and cable.
Spooled materials, such as cable, wire, and thread, are used by manufacturing companies. For example, in the assembly of fire trucks, electrical wire of various parameters (e.g., gauge, polarity) is used is used in the fire trucks"" information and diagnostic systems. Cable, such as data-link cable, is used to allow multiple signals to be sent through fewer wires. In fire trucks, the electrical systems built with the wire and cable allow officers to review fuel levels, diagnostic codes, maintenance issues, and more.
Spooled materials used at production lines, such as those that are used to build fire trucks, are dispensed on racks. Conventional dispensing racks, being situated along the production line, are physically separated from the area in which replacement spooled material is stored. Typically, this means that when a worker runs out of the material on a dispensing rack, work is halted, permission has to be obtained from a line foreman, the worker has to go to a storage area to obtain more spools, and the worker has to return with the spools to the dispensing rack. Having dispensing and storage areas separated from each other adds time and money to the production costs due to the time required for re-supplying the dispensing rack.
Conventional dispensing racks have other drawbacks as well. Because conventional dispensing racks do not permit storage of spools, extra storage space is required, adding to cost and space requirements. Oftentimes the stored spools are not well organized, leading to a further loss of time and space. Additionally, conventional racks require excess time from the supplier of the spooled material, who must observe both the dispensing and storage areas to determine the needs of the customer. Thus, what is needed is a rack that efficiently, neatly, and safely dispenses and stores spooled material and that allows safe and rapid replacement of exhausted spools with new spools.
The invention, which is defined by the claims set out at the end of this disclosure, is intended to solve at least some of the problems noted above. A rack is provided that both dispenses spooled material from spools and stores spools having spooled material thereon. Spooled materials include, but are not limited to, wire, cable, and thread.
An exemplary rack of this nature suspends spooled material above a floor and includes at least one platform, the platform having a peripheral edge, and being situated in a plane which is at least substantially horizontally oriented. A vertical support is connected to the platform at or near its peripheral edge. The platform has at least one axle for receiving the spooled material and is associated therewith. The axle is spaced from one of the vertical support and the peripheral edge of its platform.
Another exemplary rack of this nature suspends spooled material above a floor and includes at least one vertical support and at least one platform that is at least substantially planar, that is surrounded by a peripheral edge, and that is affixed to the vertical support. This version of the rack also has at least two axles, with each axle being spaced from its peripheral edge.
Still another exemplary rack suspends spooled material above a floor and includes a series of platforms, with each platform being at least substantially planar and being bounded by a peripheral edge. The platforms are aligned in a parallel array. The rack also has a series of pairs of arms, each pair being associated with a platform and a series of axles, with each axle being removably maintained between the arms in one of the pairs of arms at a location parallel to and spaced from the platform with which the one pair of arms is associated.
The exemplary platforms store spools. The support maintains the platform above the floor level. Spools are received onto the axle, which is at a peripheral edge of the platform.
By both storing and dispensing spools on a rack in accordance with the invention, the amount of space that is required to store and dispense spooled materials is reduced when compared to conventional dispensing racks, which require additional storage space that is usually distant from the rack.
Another version of the rack is a customized rack that fits any given space. In particular, this version can accommodate any floor space, any height, and any oddities in the structural layout of the space in which the rack will be placed. Furthermore, this version can be customized to accommodate the specific needs of a user. The spacing of the shelves and dispensing features can be designed to hold spooled materials of any size or gauge.
The rack can be installed at work sites having multiple assembly lines. For instance, when the rack is placed between two assembly lines, workers in both assembly lines use opposite sides of one rack to dispense spooled materials. This placement saves additional floor space.
Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the associated drawings.